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HomeMy WebLinkAbout09-17-96September 17,1996 9624 Minutes of the regular meeting of the Pulaski Town Council held September 17, 1996 at 7:00 p.m. in the Council Chambers in the Municipal Building. There were present: Vice Mayor W. H. Schrader, Jr., presiding Council Members: John H. Johnston, Lane R. Penn, Bettye H. Steger, W. Edgar Hale, James M. Neblett, Pauline G. Mitchell, Charles W. Stewart Also Present: Frank Terwilliger, Town Attorney Thomas M Combiths, Town Manager Robert J. Lyons, Assistant Town Manager Ruth A. Harrell, Clerk Patricia Pendergrast, Administrative Secretary Visitors: J. R. Schrader & Paul Dellinger, News Media 1 Valencia Johnson Ronald Vaughan Mike Ollis Lana Wagner Clifton Wagner M L. Mitchell Bert Safewright Anna M. Safewright Diane Burkes L. Hendricks Bobby E. Hunter, Jr. William Repass Robbie Wallace Bradley Dalton Melba Underwood Todd A. Clayton Vincent Ray Pampley Mike Mitchell Stacy Dixon Andrea Pretlar Joe Price Hilda Sexton Judge John Buck Phil Blankenbecker And 2 other visitors The meeting was called to order by Vice Mayor Schrader. Councilman Penn led the Pledge of Allegiance, and Councilman Stewart gave the Invocation. Following the roll call, Vice Mayor Schrader welcomed visitors to the meeting. He advised that Mayor Graham is recovering nicely from his illness and hopes to be back at work in October. We wish him the best and hope to see him very soon. Councilwoman Steger made a motion that the minutes of the regular meeting of September 3, 1996, be approved as submitted, seconded by Councilman Penn and carried. r' Vice Mayor Schrader introduced Judge John Buck and Community Service Representative Phil ~~ Blankendecker who addressed Council regarding the inmate program. ASSIST. `~~ Judge Buck thanked Councilwoman Mitchell for the invitation to speak to Council. He explained PI~.SIlVI'A' the reasoning behind the Inmate Program is to make the teenager take responsibility for his actions. A simple example is that the teenager is given a sentence (perhaps cleaning brush) and a deadline for completion. If he does not finish in the specified time, that sentence is increased and another deadline givce. If he still does not complete the sentence in the specified time, he is not allowed to get his drivers license for a year beyond when he would normally be eligible. c~~ Sesptanber 17, 1996 Mr. Bill Blankendecker explained that Judge Buck has referred 48 juvenile offenders to this program since April 1996, who have worked 847 hours of community service work, all at no charge to the Town or the County. ~~ Vice Mayor Schrader welcomed Police Chief Herb Cooley, who introduced new Police Officers to DI~AKIl~T Council. Chief Cooley advised that it was a special honor to introduce these officers today because it is his 30 year anniversary for joining the police force. The new officers are: 1. "Rusty" Russell David -Police Officer 2. Amy Prescott -Police Officer 3. Todd Clayton -Police Officer 4. Stacy Dixon -Police Officer 5. Mike "Mitch" Mitchell -Police Officer 6. Ray Papley -Dispatcher 7. Melba Underwood -Administrative Secretary Next on the agenda was a public hearing on a proposed renewal franchise to Adelphia Cable ~ `IO Communications for Cable Television Services within the Town of Pulaski. HEAR-Q~iG ~FJ PHTA The Town Manager advised that the existing franchise agreement with Adelphia Cable is anon- CABLE TELEVISION exclusive franchise, which means that if the conditions were met, another cable company could come into the community. He advised that according to the rules and regulations legislated by the Federal government, local government cannot regulate the rates, nor the programming of the cable industry. However, if there are complaints, the Town can initiate communication with the FCC who would than address the complainrts. He advised that staff has received several calls, and a couple of pieces of correspondence that address citizen concerns regarding the cost of service, the programming and the quality of reception received from Adelphia Cable. Staff also completed a survey in the region and it appears from this survey, that the citizens are paying more per channel in our area than in other communities. Staff recommended that Council delay action on the Town Cable Television Franchise Ordinance at this time, so that further discussion can be held with Council He further advised that Mr. Joe Price, Regional Manager for Adelphia Communications was in the audience and was prepared to speak to Council if needed. Mr. Joe Price, Regional Manager for Adelphia Communications addressed Council and advised that Adelphia has already begun some of the engineering work which will provide the Community Channel through New River Community College, and that Adelphia is prepared to add a couple more channels for our area. He then addressed questions from Council and the public. Clifton Wagner of Bainbridge Drive complained that the rates were too high and the reception poor. He estimated that his cable is out more than 1/2 of the time. He also estimated that 90% of the nights they were unable to watch TV. William Repass of Mathews Court also complained about the poor rec~tion. Michael Ollis of Bainbridge Drive, stated that he wanted to be assured that our area gets the same level of service as the surrounding areas at approximately the same price. He also questioned whether the new stations referred to by Mr. Price to be offered in our area, would be at no charge and specifically, which stations were they? Bobby Hunter of Maple Street wanted to request a cultural station geared to the African American, such as BET (Black Entertainment Television). Ron Vaughan of Cliff Street commented that overall his cable service has been good, but inquired why Radford's cable company can offer the same channels that Pulaski gets, plus approximately 10-12 more channels, and can charge less or almost the same as Pulaski is charging? He also inquired why our complaints are referred to another area ratter than having a local answering service? He complained that Channel 13 has had poor rec~tion for several years and that he has gotten several different answers, none of which rectified the situation. He wanted to lmow when and if Channel 13 would be fixed? Andrea Pretlar inquired how Radford could offer the Disney Channel free and Adelphia charge their customers for the same service? She also questioned why customers are billed a month in advance? In response to the complaints and questions, Mr. Price advised that the new stations being considered for our area are not locked in stone except the Educational Channel through New River Community College. The other stations being considered are C Span, Arts & Errtertainrnent and ESPN2 and now that he knows there is interest, possibly BET. He further advised that the final four will be offered at no additional charge in the beginning, but will probably be passed on to the consumer at a later date, probably next August. He added that Adelphia plans to move its equipment away from the mountain, where there is a lot interference, to New River Community 9625 2 ~~ September 17, 1996 PUDIC HEARING, OONT'D. College. This should improve or eliminate the snowy screens and other poor rec~tion in our area. Regarding the cost differential between the surrounding areas and Pulaski, he stated that it is difficult to compare. Areas that have a larger cable population are financially better able to offer more programming and services. He advised that the advanced billing is done in lieu of charging a deposit. Diane Burkes inquired whether citizens would be allowed to vote on which cable service would be chosen for our area? Vice Mayor Schrader replied that presently, there are no other cable companies offering to provide cable service to our area. The object of tonight's hearing is to show Mr. Price the type problems that we have in our area so they can be addressed. Cecil Breedlove, of Peppers Ferry Rd., described a problem that he had with Adelphia which resulted in his purchasing a new television when in his opinion it was not needed. Mr. Price replied that he would do some research and would get back with Mr. Breedlove. Councilwoman Mitchell stated that she would be willing to give up one of her stations to insure rec~tion of the BET channel. She inquired when Adelphia's equipment would be moved to the Community College, and would it be possible to have complaints registered with a local number? Mr. Price replied that he hopes to have the fiber line in place for the educational channel in 6 months. Shortly after that he hopes to move off the top of the mountain. He reiterated that he has not said they could not add the cultural channel, BET. He said that it was not in the immediate plan, but that this is a public hearing to get input and that Adelphia would give BET due consideration. Regarding the telephone complaints, he said that Adelphia is able to give 24 hour service by having all of the calls received at one location, and that the complaint is immediately registered in the computer and handled at the first available time slot. Councilman Johnston inquired whether the fiber line could be run to the High School? Mr. Price referred the question to Hilda Sexton who stated that it is scheduled to be run to the Governor's school. At 8:10 p.m., Vice Mayor Schrader closed the public hearing. From the Public, Mrs. Mary Lee Duncan inquired as to her concerns from the last Council meeting. The sidewalk at Madison Avenue will be repaired in three weeks, Norfolk Southern has been cited to clean up their property; owner of Maple Shade Inn Plaza also cited to clean up property. As there were no further comments from the public, Vice Mayor Schrader called for Council Committee reports. UTILITIES COMMITTEE: Chairman Johnston did not have a committee report, however, he commended the staff and Town management as they have started a number of projects that had been delayed. Chairman Johnston ~[,~ advised that the Assistant District Engineer for the State Health Department did an analysis of the PLANT' maintenance program at the Water Treatment Plant and as a part of his report, stated that the plant's staff had prepared an excellent multi-volume preventative maintenance program. The program includes equipmenrt records and maintenance work schedules, and was an impressive effort and deserves commendation. Chairman Johnston advised that a maintenance manual was available. PUBLIC OPERATIONS COMMITTEE: Chairman Penn reported that the Public Operations Committee met September 11. The committee PEAK discussed the creek maintenance plan. Non-violent inmates are cleaning Peak Creek, Sproules Run ~~ and are scheduled to clean Hermosa. In the future, the Public Works Director will bring back to Council future plans for scheduling the cleaning of Peak Creek as this cleaning might have to be considered in next years budget. 9626 3 9627 September 17, 1996 A'Il~1 rIAQI<NE Chairn~an Penn advised that a bank had expressed interest in installing an ATM machine at the K~'=1RP,,IN train station. The request would require the Architectural Review Board's approval. The Public STATION Operations Committee would like to get the input from Council regarding an automated teller machine being permitted. Lighting, procurement process and other responsibilities discussed. The Town Attorney expressed that we will probably have to go through our procuremerrt process. Vice Mayor Schrader suggested that Public Operations meet with full Council. ~ The Public Operations Committee discussed the donation of property, Lot 13 on Johnson Street, that had been offered to the Town. The Public Works Director indicated there would be a benefit for creek access. The Public Operations Committee recommended acceptance of the lot. The Town Attomey will prepare the deed and title search and bring back to Council. Staff is to review for environmental problems. (F)RB & Chairman Penn stated the committee discussed curb and gutter on Westwood Drive. Mr. Combiths ~~ reported that Mr. Anderson, Westwood Drive, was irrterested in curb and gutter and was willing to pay his share of the cost. Other residents on Westwood Drive have not responded. The committee was advised that several property owners on South Madison Avenue had requested " curb and gutter. This project will move forward, from the top of Madison Avenue down to 2nd Street. Chairman Penn advised that downtown parking was discussed. The Assistant Town Manager had PARK researched this topic and it was felt the parking should be left as it is. A suggestion was made that the Town Engineer take a look at two-way street rather than cone-way street. The Police Chief was in attendance at the meeting and he expressed that he wants to monitor but not make any additional changes. Chairman Penn advised that grant application to the C. E. Richardson Foundation requesting funds ~'IN for the engineering and design of the train station annex had bean submitted. Also, Pulaski County STATION agreed to sponsor the application to fund a history book of the Train Station. On the landscaping plan, Mr. Doug Steger will bring this plan in as soon as available. ORDINANCE COMNIlTTEE: Chairwoman Steger advised that an Ordinance Committee meeting would be scheduled next week to deal with the ordinance regarding parade fees and discuss the noise ordinance. CRIME REPORT: Councilwoman Steger did not have a crime report, however, she reported there is a great possibility that the Town will receive the grant to help the children. Vice Mayor Schrader asked that the Public Operations Committee and Ordinance Committee review the correspondence from the Governor declaring September 21-October 19 the Fall River Renaissance which is a time to ask volunteers to clean our ponds, streams, rivers and creeks throughout the State of Virginia. Localities are asked to designate a time period and organize some type of venture. Atoll free number is provided for additional information. FINANCE CO1~Il~IlTTEE: Chairman Schrader had no report. HUMAN RESOURCE CONIlVIITTEE: p~~ Chairn~an Hale advised that the Human Resources Committee recommends that Mr. Joseph Q~T'ffSSION Weddle be reappointed to the Town Planning Commission for another four year term. Motion carried on the following recorded vote: John A. Johnston -Aye Lane R. Penn -Aye Bettye H. Steger -Aye W. H. Schrader, Jr. -Aye W. Edgar Hale -Aye James M. Neblett -Aye Pauline G. Mitchell -Aye Charles W. Stewart -Aye 4 Septenber 17, 1996 9628 PLANNING COMMISSION• Councilman Stewart reported that the Planning Commission held a work session on September 16 on the Comprehensive Plan, and reviewed and approved the Community Facilities Element. The General Land Use Element is to be reviewed in October and it is hoped the Plan will be completed by November. Vice Mayor Schrader thanked the Planning Commission for all their hard work on this Plan. VICE MAYOR'S REPORT• Vice Mayor Schrader advised that following the next Council Meeting, the Town Attorney will hold an educational meeting with Council to bring members up to date on matters of interest. Vice Mayor Schrader reminded Council of the Joint Governmental Meeting to be held September 24 in Dublin and the Transportation Summit September 30, 9:00 a.m., Edwards Hall, New River Community College. TOWN ATTORNEY'S REPORT• Mr. Terwilliger requested that Council Members submit to him a listing of any desired topics that they would like him to discuss at work session. Mr. Terwilliger requested an Executive Session under 2.1-344 A7, discussion with legal Counsel concerning the terms and conditions ongoing negotiations with an industrial wastewater applicant. TOWN MANAGER' S REPORT: Mr. Combiths reported that on October 10, 7:00 p.m. the annual Fire Prevention Parade will be held. Mr. Combiths gave a projects update. Mr. Terwilliger advised that the Sheriff had expressed that he would like to get together with Town ~IE'F officials concernin better methods to enforce the do r g g egulations. A copy of the County's dog ~~, „ ordinance had been distributed to Council. Under our current ordinance, it is proper for the County to enforce the ordinance within the Town limits. Mr. Terwilliger felt this might be a topic the Ordinance Committee would like to review in the near future, along with representatives of the Sheriff's Department and our own representatives from the Police Department. Mr. Terwilliger advised that at present, the Town does have an ordinance that allows the County to do its enforcement in the Town. Councilwoman Steger recommended a Resolution be prepared honoring Mrs. Carolyn Duncan, Retired Senior Volunteer Program Director. Mrs. Duncan has also been employed by the Town as temporary Senior Center Director. Councilwoman Steger advised that a reception would beheld for Mrs. Duncan on Thursday, September 26, 10:00 a.m.-1:00 p.m. Councilwoman Mitchell requested that "yard sales" be reviewed in the Ordinance Committee. At 8:43 p.m. Councilman Johnston made a motion that Council go into Executive Session under 2.1-344 A7 discussion with legal counsel concerning the terms and conditions on ongoing negotiations with an industrial wastewater application. Motion seconded by Councilman Penn and carried on the following recorded vote: John A. Johnston -Aye Lane R. Penn -Aye Bettye H. Steger -Aye W. H. Schrader, Jr. -Aye W. Edgar Hale -Aye James M. Neblett -Aye Pauline G. Mitchell -Aye Charles W. Stewart -Aye 5 9629 Septanber 17, 1996 At 8:55 p.m. Council rexurned to regular session and adopted Certification Resolution on motion made by Councilman Penn, seconded by Councilwoman Steger and carried on the following recorded vote: John A. Johnston -Aye Lane R. Penn -Aye Bettye H. Steger -Aye W. H. Schrader, Jr. -Aye W. Edgar Hale -Aye James M. Neblett -Aye Pauline G. Mitchell -Aye Charles W. Stewart -Aye At 8:56 p.m. Councilman Neblett made a motion that Council adjourn, seconded by Councilman Hale and carried. Attest: Clerk of Council Vice Mayor i 1 6